Sealed Battery Electrolyte Injection Using Helium Pressure

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing method for manufacturing sealed batteries, which uses nitrogen to pressure-feed electrolytic solution, leads to a decrease in helium concentration during leakage detection, resulting in a high erroneous determination rate due to fluctuations in helium concentration and diluted helium levels.

Innovation Solution

Using helium as the pressure-feeding gas to maintain a consistent helium concentration in the detection region, allowing for more accurate leakage detection by employing helium as both the detection gas and pressure-feeding gas.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If nitrogen is used to pressure-feed the electrolytic solution, then the electrolytic solution can be fed into the battery container, but the helium concentration in the detection region decreases due to nitrogen diffusion, leading to high erroneous determination rate in leakage detection

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectrolytic solution feedingVSAvoidleakage detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter of the pressure-feeding gas from nitrogen to helium. This parameter change ensures that the gas used for pressure-feeding does not dilute the detection gas concentration, thereby maintaining measurement precision while still achieving the productivity goal of electrolytic solution feeding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces helium as an intermediary gas that serves dual purposes: it acts as the pressure-feeding gas to deliver the electrolytic solution and simultaneously maintains the helium concentration in the detection region. This intermediary gas resolves the conflict between feeding efficiency and detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If nitrogen is used as pressure-feeding gas, then the electrolytic solution injection can be performed, but the helium concentration fluctuates and decreases, causing unreliable leakage detection results

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectrolytic solution injectionVSAvoidleakage detection reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter of the pressure-feeding gas from nitrogen to helium. This ensures that the gas composition in the detection region remains stable and does not fluctuate, thereby improving the reliability of leakage detection while maintaining ease of manufacture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent ensures homogeneity in the gas composition by using helium throughout the system - as the pressure-feeding gas, as the detection gas, and as the gas that maintains the detection region atmosphere. This homogeneity prevents concentration fluctuations and improves detection reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #33Homogeneity

3Productivity

If nitrogen pressure-feeding is used, then the electrolytic solution can be delivered to the battery container, but the detection gas is diluted, requiring more complex threshold adjustments and reducing detection accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectrolytic solution deliveryVSAvoiddetection threshold control

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the pressure-feeding gas parameter from nitrogen to helium, which eliminates the dilution effect. This simplifies the detection threshold control and improves manufacturing precision by maintaining a stable, undiluted detection gas concentration throughout the process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach reduces the erroneous determination rate in leakage detection by maintaining a stable helium concentration, enhancing the sensitivity and accuracy of the helium leakage detector outputs.

Implementation Method 1

the nitrogen contained in the electrolytic solution diffuses into the detection region when the electrolytic solution infiltrates into the electrode body

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Implementation Method 2

an abundant amount of nitrogen is present in the internal space of the electrolytic solution tank. Thus, nitrogen mainly dissolves in the electrolytic solution stored in the electrolytic solution tank

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGas dissolution: Absorption (physical)

Implementation Method 3

a helium amount leaked from a detection region (an internal space of the battery container) per unit time is measured using a helium leakage detector

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHelium detection:

Data Source

PatentUS9660300B2Method for manufacturing sealed battery

Publication Date: 2017.05.23 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

A method for manufacturing a sealed battery includes: injecting an electrolytic solution into an exterior; introducing a detection gas into the exterior; and detecting a leakage by detecting a leakage of the detection gas introduced into the exterior, the electrolytic solution in an electrolytic solution tank is pressure fed into the exterior by pressurizing the electrolytic solution tank by feeding a gas of a kind the same as the detection gas in the electrolytic solution tank where the electrolytic solution is stored, in order to inject the electrolytic solution into the battery container.